So, we leave to go back to the States for furlough tomorrow – crazy!! Crazy because we just started packing today (although, as a friend reminded me, experience has shown we don’t actually need that much time to pack!) Crazy too, because life has been a bit crazy lately.

You might remember that before the boys and I went to the Philippines with my family, Branden and I had some challenges with renewing our visa. Well, praise God that visa did get sorted (in an amazing and dramatic last minute display of God’s ability to take of things we can’t!) We are good to stay in Ireland until the end of October this year.

What is still up in the air is what will happen after that. In 2018, the Irish government made some major changes to its immigration regulations. We first found out about them in September when we went to renew the visa we have now. One of those changes is that there is now a cap on the number of years you can be on this visa. That cap is three years, which we will complete in October of this year.

Because we can’t apply for it again, we either need to leave the country or get permission to stay under a different visa. We’ve learned that there is one other visa we could qualify for and, through lots of conversations and weeks and weeks of research, we’ve almost gathered all the documents required to apply. Most of these documents have never been asked of applicants before and several of them are not easy to obtain. Among other changes, the immigration department is also requiring that we apply from our country of residence, which is one of the main reasons why we’re headed home for furlough. Once we land in the U.S., we can mail in our application and documents, along with proof that we’ve left the country. Then we wait to see what they decide.

To be honest, we’ve been on an emotional roller coaster since September regarding the visa situation. Sometimes it’s at the forefront of everything, this weight and feelings of things being unfair, along with an overwhelming unsettledness and questions of ‘what if?’ What if we can’t get all these documents? What if we have to leave the country in October? What will we do? What will life look like?

We know others that have had to leave suddenly, because of visa issues. And some have not been permitted to come at all. There is so much changing in Ireland. This process feels cold and deliberate and unyielding. And yet, I know the Lord is there. That these ‘what if’s’ don’t keep Him up at night. And sadly, this situation has revealed both my lack of confidence in Him and His relentless, quiet, kindness as He calls my gaze and heart to find my security in Him alone again.

The other day, I’d sent an email to a friend in the States, asking for help with one of the visa documents. It was on my seemingly impossible list of to-do’s. I’d been trying to figure out this particular document for several weeks already, without much progress. Finally, I sent her the email explaining the situation and what we needed. A few days passed, and I hadn’t heard back from her. I sent her a message on Facebook to see if she’d gotten it. We messaged back an forth a couple of times. In the end, she said she’d take care of it. Then she wrote the words “rest sister.”

I went to bed that night with a tiny bit of defensiveness. When we first found out about all the changes, about all that was going to be required for us to apply for this new visa, I was kind of a mess. It sounded impossible. And because the regulations are so new, even many of the local authorities didn’t have any experience with them. There was no template, no list of things to do and check off; we, and the leadership in our church, just needed to figure it out. Now over the last few months, we’ve found others that are a little further along in the process, and God has been kind to encourage us in lots of other ways. So most days now, I’m okay with it, functioning somewhat normally with the things in front of me without crying at the drop of a hat. But this command, this invitation – “rest sister” – it felt a little rough on my skin. Like “Calm down!” or “Relax already!”

Going to bed that night, I told Branden, “I want to rest! I want to not be overwhelmed and truly trust that God is gonna take care of everything. But I also have an incredibly long list of things that I actually have to do. I can’t just sit back and drink a cup of tea – or maybe I can, while I start packing my bags to leave the country!” (Did I say a tiny bit of defensiveness?)

This friend of mine, by the way, with the email, she’s always been a source of truth, a way God has spoken in real ways to Branden and me. I love her so much.

I felt tired. Ya’ll I am tired! Like you know when you’re toddler is crying inconsolably because they just haven’t gotten enough sleep? Yeah, I’ve been there more times than I care to admit in the last few months. I’ve been overwhelmed, and at the same time, so grateful for where we are, how the Lord led us here, what we get to do and be a part of, and the relationships God has grown in the last 2+ years.

And can I just take a minute and say that God is so good! That along with what I think are relatively normal challenges of having two pre-teen boys in our house, there is peace and ease and laughter and safety and genuine love and discipleship in our home – praise God! Our marriage is probably the best it’s ever been, we’re healthy, ministry is full, and our church is growing is so many ways – so much to be thankful for!

And perhaps that’s why the thought of everything changing again, us being kicked out of the country, not knowing what’s up ahead, that’s why it’s so overwhelming.

In fairness, this call to rest, the Lord had already said it to me. I know myself (maybe you’re the same?) when I’m exhausted and feel like things are out of control, it’s because I’m trying to do things on my own, trusting in my own abilities and strength. It’s like I’m walking a tight rope strung over the Grand Canyon, and more and more objects keep getting handed to me. I have to walk; I have to balance, I have to keep it together! I’m just not able!

The day after messaging with my friend, I was brought back to a section of Scripture the Lord has often used to speak to me. This Psalm has encouraged me, convicted me, held me in so many situations. And it’s not always the same verse or section. This time it was this:

“The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; He is their stronghold in times of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.”
– Psalm 38:39-40

My answer will come from the Lord. Yes, there are things I need to do, applications and paperwork to fill out, but ultimately, it was the Lord who brought us here, preparing these works in advance for us to do. And it will be the Lord that either keeps us here or moves us. And I can trust that He knows the situation, that He knows our hearts, that He has a good plan, whatever it might be.

In that I can rest.

The person who says the words of this psalm is in need of saving, delivering, and help. And their part, what they are able for is to hide. Not run away or avoid their circumstances, but tuck in, trust, take refuge in something, Someone who is bigger, more capable than they are. The situation may not change (not right away anyways) but there is shelter, there is safety, and rest. And joy in His presence!

“Rest” is a call to look up, to see that He is with us, that it’s okay if we cannot, because He can. Praise God!

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So, we’re getting ready for a furlough. And you know what? When you leave home (to go home!) for six weeks, it actually requires a lot of planning! Planning on this side – ministry stuff, house stuff, who will mind our cat – lots! Planning on that side – we’ll visit four states in those six weeks, seeing family and places and more people we love. So plane tickets, rental cars, meet ups, hang outs, it’s gonna be good :)

And in an effort to slow down, enjoy people, really see what’s in front of me, I’ve decided to do a little photo challenge :) One picture a day – nothing I’ll pull a muscle over, but just one image every day while we’re on the trip that freezes time and locks in something real. Photography helps me look at things, be present, be thankful! So that’s my plan. Anyone want to join me? I’m gonna use #seetheday2019. See what I did there? Anyways, I’ll keep you posted on Instagram and the old Facebook page. You probably won’t be on a six week trip, but you can totally join me if you want! Really just want to be present and capture what the Lord has each day, you know?

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Okay, one more invitation …would you pray with us? So much to lay before the Lord. Would you pray for our visa application? That we’d be able to get all the documents together, that it would get to the right person on the right day, that God would just go before us (as I know He already has) and we’d be approved, without any hiccups or issues?

Would you pray for our time in the States? I believe the Lord has so much in store, and I don’t want to miss any of it! For our time with people, that He would use us to encourage others, that all the logistics would come together, and also that it would be a time of rest. Please pray for safety and health and that we would abide in the Lord.

And would you pray for our church here in Cork? For those serving in our stead and the precious kiddos and families in our fellowship? God is doing a great work in this city, and we’re so thankful and humbled to be a part of it!

Okay, I think those are all the major ones! Thanks for reading guys, and for praying with us, and for being a part of our family and this ministry. We’re grateful for each of you, and know that we are not alone! Keep an eye out for that hashtag!

This is the seventh, and last, post in a series. If you haven’t read the others yet, please do so using the links below before continuing. Things might make more sense that way! Thanks so much for reading!

I love this picture of my Mom, my Aunt, and me – all together in one image, in one place.
My Aunt and Uncle left the States about twenty years ago and moved to the Philippines to become missionaries. Now they hold church in the downstairs part of their home and have weekly and monthly outreaches to different parts of the community. My Aunt was such a huge influence in my spiritual life when I was growing up. Our families lived together until I was about nine years old, so Aunts and Uncles were more like another set of parents and cousins were more like siblings. Going through the process of being called by the Lord to the field ourselves, her encouragement and words of wisdom from being there already, from persevering and learning to follow the Lord in faith, was so valuable.

This was the first time I got to see the work they are doing and meet the people in their church. I got to lead worship for the two Sunday morning services we were there. During the trip, anytime we were on the road or away from home, my Aunt and Uncle made a point to gather everyone each night and open the word together. My Aunt had me lead worship as well.

When I was growing up, everyone in our family sang. My grandfather used to say that we should, whether we think we had a good voice or not, because that’s all we’ll be doing when we get to Heaven. I feel like that strong heritage of worship and music was foundational for me, and for my sisters and cousins. Being together in the Philippines, worshiping the Lord, hearing the familiar harmonies, that time is something I’ll always be grateful for.

I’m so thankful too, for the precious people in their church. Getting to be with them, I learned just how fervently they prayed for our visas and for us to be able to come on the trip. One conversation I’ll never forget, a couple in the church who are very close to my Aunt and Uncle, hung out with us quite a bit while we were there. The man, Kuya Jimmy (kuya means “big brother” and is term of familiarity and respect) told me towards the end of the trip, that when he first saw the boys and I, he had goosebumps. He said that they’d been praying weekly for us and that when he saw us, it was a great answer to prayer, not mine, but theirs! What an incredible, humbling blessing!

Later in the trip, we got to go to a different area with another beautiful beach. Pictures mean so much I think, because they are tangible (digital) evidence of an experience, like a little portal that takes you back to a moment. These boys wading in the ocean at sunset, on the other side of the world – we were there!

And this boy, with his very serious eyebrows, and beautiful eyes! And all the watermelon he could fit in his tiny mouth!

More non-seat belted van pictures :) Can you tell they were tired?

I love this beautiful little face!

My parents, they worked so hard to make this trip happen! Happy birthday Mom!

We’ve lived on an island for two years now, and for two years the boys have asked me to swim in the ocean with them. And my answer for the most part has been, “Um…no thanks. It’s freezing!” But I had no excuse in the Philippines – the water was like bath water! I actually really swam there, and we were all very happy! We were on the beach the entire day here – swimming, eating barbecue in a little hut, then back out into the water!

A somewhat sad attempt at an all cousin picture :)

Lola snuggles

My Aunt taking the babies for a walk. Time is so precious.

Getting to experience some very elaborate buffets in the city! My Dad looks so happy and Asian here!

Shabu Shabu

We got to visit this really cool museum to celebrate a different aunt’s birthday while we were there! All the walls are covered with these incredible murals that you’re supposed to interact with. You leave your shoes at the front desk and walk the entire building in your socks or bare feet! Missed Branden a little extra on that day.

Ethan and his love of cats!

This optical illusion set up was the coolest!

Getting pampered! I definitely left the Philippines with my hair a glowing fuchsia color!

Sweet friends – so blessed

Two and a half weeks went by so quickly

Such amazing travelers

The flights home had their own share of craziness, if you can believe it! But we eventually made our way back home to Branden. And to the chilly climate of the northern hemisphere. I have to admit, that part of me that wakes up when I’m with family, takes a little while to go back to sleep. It’s bittersweet for sure, but always reminds me that I’m not truly home yet, not in Ireland or the States, or anywhere on this beautiful planet. One day, goodbyes will be a thing of the past, and our hearts will finally be able to settle. Until then, we keep on traveling.

Well Guys, you made it – end of the series! Now I promised an announcement, so here it be…

In the not so distant future, we’ll be on a plane again. We’ll be taking a furlough in the spring, for most of February and March! The plan is to visit family outside of Colorado for the first part of our trip, and then be in Denver for a few weeks in March. So, USA – one of the places we love and call home – we’ll see you in a few months!

I know that up until this point, the posts in this series have been pretty sparse picture wise. And I’ll just apologize in advance for the photo dump situation that’s about to happen here! Looking back at these images, my heart is just so full! I still kind of can’t believe we got to go and be there, in the Philippines, with my family! I’m so grateful our boys got to be there, experiencing the food and culture, the language, life in a beautiful, warm, third world country. It really is one thing to hear and learn about a place, being told about it by others. It’s something completely different to go there yourself.

And I’m thankful for technology. When we were mad packing, trying to get to the airport, I picked up my “big” camera. Batteries were dead. Extra batteries were also dead. I didn’t have time to charge anything and made a decision in the moment that my phone camera would have to suffice. Not the greatest quality, but it ended up being really handy and easy to have in whatever situation we were in.

I’ve thought about how to share these pictures with you, and basically decided to just post little explanations as I go! Hope this gives you a glimpse into our two weeks+ there…

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So the day after we landed was a Sunday. After church and running a few errands, we all packed up, piled into a couple vans and drove for about thirteen hours to a house my parents had rented on a beach. We stayed there about four days. I’m showing you this picture first because I think it looks nice and calm and tropical. While we were there, we got to go see some sights and eat amazing food (like a whole pig roasted and then served on fresh banana leaves with fruit in its mouth!).

What we didn’t plan on was the relatively minor but still present typhoon that hit the area the day after we arrived! Of course we still had to go down to the beach :)

I really love this picture of my Mom and me. It’s very similar to a super windy selfie we took when my parents came to visit us in Ireland last year. Maybe we’ll take super windy selfies in every country we visit together!

The boys look really Filipino to me here! When we went to buy replacement clothing (while we waited for our luggage to be found), I really only bought them shorts and t-shirts and flip flops, because that’s all they needed the entire time we were there! This is literally what they looked like for the entire trip :)

Attempted group selfie. My favorite is Ethan :)

I’m definitely a portrait person, so unfortunately I don’t do a great job of taking pictures of scenery or really much else other than people. Also, my phone camera definitely doesn’t do this justice.

This is the front porch of the house we stayed in. That gorgeous little princess is my niece Lydia. She basically looks Puerto Rican, right?! If you can believe it, she’s even more beautiful in real life, even with the chocolate on her face.

Also, when I say “we” stayed there, I mean more than twenty of us in the three bedrooms. Filipinos don’t mind being close! There were two bathrooms, but bathrooms in the Philippines are pretty different from ones we have in the States or in Ireland. There is no hot water coming into the house. Sometimes the toilets flush, but many times you have to flush them manually with a bucket of water, and you don’t flush toilet paper.

To bathe, you fill a large bucket with water that comes from a spigot in the wall. If you want the water to be warm, you boil a kettle. Then you use a smaller bucket with a handle, which we call a “tabo,” to scoop up the water and pour it over yourself. The entire bathroom is one big wet room with a drain in the floor.

I’m so grateful my kids (and I!) got to experience that, learning to do things in a different way, seeing that different parts of the world are not as theirs is, and that there is much to be thankful for.

OH, THE FOOD!!

We spent quite a lot of time with a family from the church my Uncle and Aunt pastor. They have three boys, two of them about the same age as ours. Fast friends, here watching the typhoon over the beach in the distance!

And here, enjoying the fact that you don’t have to wear seat belts in the Philippines!

This picture is proof of two things:
1. Boys under the age of 13 DO NOT know how to look at a camera and smile. Literally, their faces malfunction if you are trying to take a picture!
2. My uncle (far right in the hat and shades) can still pull off the “I’m so cool” pose!

We got to experience so many cool things while we were there. For a long time, the boys have wanted to open a fresh coconut and drink from it. Well, you see that seventy year old woman in the picture below? She has this stand on the side of the road where she has hundreds of coconuts and opens them for you with a giant machete on a tree stump. 6 coconuts for less than $2. She literally hacks away at the tough green exterior until she gets to the center, sticks a straw into it, and hands it to you to drink. Once all the water is gone, she cuts it in half, makes a spoon out of part of the shell, and gives it back to you to eat the meat. Authentic experiences we’ll never forget!

We got to visit the house my Dad’s mother grew up in. There were a few different times while we were there, when we got to drive through different areas each of my parents grew up in. Lots of things have changed, but there were certain stores and buildings that had stayed the same. Listening to them tell stories about those places, about walking those streets on their way to school or going to the market, seeing where they grew up, was a treasure.

My Dad with his youngest grandson, my handsome nephew Liam. He’s sweet and funny and clung to my Dad for so much of this trip. Which of course made my Dad the happiest!

Ethan got a real taste for one of my favorite Filipino desserts, a treat called Halo Halo, which means “mix mix.” It’s shaved ice and sweetened milk, with a variety of toppings mixed in. We ate it every chance we got!

Okay, if you made it to the end of this post – congratulations! If you’re up for it, there is one more post in the series, also full of pictures! And at the end of it, there’s a special announcement. Hope to see you here tomorrow!

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Hi there! We're the Treus, a family of four from Denver, Colorado, called to serve the Lord and the people He loves in Cork, Ireland. Welcome to our life!

This blog serves as a way for us to share and document our days and all the Lord is doing in and around us! We would love for you to read, follow along, and join in this big adventure Jesus has us on!

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Your Part in God’s Plan

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son..."
God loved humanity so much that it's rescue demanded His action and the sacrifice of what He treasured most. This relentless love would cause God to become the first missionary. He set out to rescue the world.
Today the rescued become His ambassadors. It still requires action, and sacrifice. It's still driven by God's love for people who are lost.
Maybe you're called to go; maybe you're calling is to help send. Jesus is coming back soon. What's your part in God's rescue plan?